Engine-coupling.



W. E. COPFIN.

v ENGINE GOUBLING. #APPLICATION FILED JANA, 1911.

W. E. GOPFIN. ENGINE GOU'PLING. AIPLIOATIONEILEI? LANA, 1911.`

N y: n mi u! I k- 4 d- /Z Patented May 7, A1912.

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ENGINIT COUPLNG, Aymlouom FILED MNA, 1911.

Patented May 7, 1912.

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*entre rares ralrnnfr ernten t i WALTER E. COFFN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL lVIAIJ.'.IEM.\BIIEv CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND,.OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

ENGNECOUPLING.

T0 all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER 1E. CorFIN, av

resident of Cleveland, in the county of. I Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have' invented a new and useful Improvement in Engine Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view showing my improved coupler; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal .vertical section of the same; F ig. 3 is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section partly broken away, and showing a modification.

My invention has relation to engine couplers, and more particularly to means -for attaching the engine coupler to a pilot beam, in such a manner as to permit of longitudinal yielding of the coupler both in butling and in pulling.

The nature of my invent-ion will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown two different embodiments thereof and which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the several parts by those skilled in the art, vwithout. departing from the spirit and scope of my invention defined in the appended claims.

ln these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the pilot beam of an engine, and 3 a coupler pocket which is secured thereto by means of the usual bolts 4. The coupler pocket 3 is, in general, of the usual form, comprising a flat base plate `portion 3a, 4ftting the pilot beam and engaged by the bolts 4l, and the flaring pocket portion which receives the shank 5 of the coupler head 6. The pocket, however, differs from the pockets ordinarily used heretofore, in that it is formed .with an opening 7, at its inner 'he portion 8 of this follower has a cfucav: face 10, to receive the correspondingljfY conveXed end 11 of the coupler shank. The front of the pilot beam is cut away, as shown at 12, to form an opening which registers with the open rear end of the coupler pocket. The opening 12 "isgf'however, made-'larger than the opening' in the coupler pocket, so that Speccation ot' Letters Patent.

Application led January 4, 1511.

Patented May 7, 1912. serial No. 600,528.

the flange portions of the front follower may have a bearing against the overlapping ualls of the base plate ofA the pocket, as 'clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2'. This opening in the front wall'of the pilot beam is also madesutliciently large to'permit of the introduction of the draft and bulling springs 13 and 14;. These springs are seated between the rear face of the front follower 9 and the front face of a rearfollower 15. 4The latter preferably has a 'hub or thimble portion 15a, which extends outwardly through an opening 1G in the back wall of the pilot beam. To properly guide and support the hub or thirnble portion of this follower, 'the back portion of the pilot beam is formed with a rearwardly extending hub or boss 17 in which the thimble portion is seated.

The rear end of the coupler' shank 5 is bifurcated, as shown at 5a, to receive the eye 18 o-f a tail bolt 19, which extends rearwardly through the front follower 9, the springs 13 and 14, and the rear follower 15. its rear end projecting beyond the rear end of the thimble portion of the rear follower and being threaded, as shown at 20, Ato receive a nut 21. This nut seatsv against' a washer 22, which bears against the rear end lof said thimble portion. The forward end of the tail bolt is connected 4to the coupler.

shank by means of avert-ical pivot pin 23.l This pin in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 not only passes through the eye ofthe tail bolt and the walls of the coupler shank, but it also extends upwardly andl downwardly a short distance beyond the top and bottom of the shank and into recesses 24, formed within the upper and lower walls of' the engine pocket. The lower recess 24 may be partially closed at its bottom, while the top recess may be closed by a removable plate or cap 25. IThese apertures 24 are elongated longitudinally, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, so that the coupler and the pin which moves with the coupler may have a predetermined forward and rearward 4movement under spectively.

The advantage of using a pin having projecting upper and lower ends is not only that it may assist in receiving bufling and pulling strains after the capacity of the spring has/)been reached, but also that it may prevent accidental pulling of the coupler entirely out of the pocket, in case the pulling and bulling strains retail bolt or other parts should give way. InFig. 4, however, I have illustrated a modification in which this feature is omitted, the pin 23a extending through thev tail bolt and coupler shank only, and the re- Cesses in the top and bottom walls of the coupler pocket being omitted. The construe pler in buffing is transmitted from the rounded` rearend of .the coupler shank to the forward concave portion of the front follower, and thenceto the springs 13 and 114:. These springs are prevented from rearward movement by their bearing against the rear follower and this, inturn, is supported by its bearing against'the rear wall of the pilot beam'. In pulling, the stress put upon the .coupler is transmitted by means of the pin 23 (or 23a) to the tail bolt, which, by reason of its nut and washer, transmits the strain to the rear follower, which moves forward lwithin a guide provided for it in the pilot beam, and thereby presses the springs against the forward follower. The flaring form of the pocket permits a limited lateral swing of the coupler head,

-In the construction shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the pin 23 may be driven into position after the holes in the coupler shank and inthe eye of the tail bolt have been placed in register, by passing it downwardly through a hole in the upper recess Q4; of the pocket. This hole is afterward closed by a cap 25,- which not only acts as a closure, but also serves to prevent accidental upward creeping of the pin. The bottom recess may be provided with sinall aperture 25, through which asmall tool can be inserted to drive the pin upwardly after the cap has been removed.

The advantages of my invention will' be apparent, since it provides an engine cou pler having means of simple and eliicient character for permitting the necessary yielding of the couplerboth in bufling and in pulling.

I claim: 1; In an engine coupler, a pilot beani, a

coupler pocket secured to the front side of 55' the pilot beam, a coupler shank mounted in said pocket, front and rear followers, a yielding resistance between the followers, and a member connected to the coupler shank and extending rearwardly through there-cess of the ilet beam therear wall.

of the recess having a seat for the rear follower, and a lcoupler shank engaging the front follower and having means` which engage the rear follower to transmit draft strains thereto ,substantially as described.

3. In an engine coupler, a pilot beam, front and rear followers seated in the front and rear walls, respectively, cf said beam, a yielding resistance interposed between the followers, a coupler pocket secured io the fro-nt wall of the pilot beam, the front follower having a portion extending forwardly into the said pocket through the open rear end thereof, a coupler shank entering said pocket, and bearing against the forwardly projecting portion of the front follower, and a tail bolt connected to the couplershank and extending througl'i the followers and engaging the rear follower, substantially as described.

It. In an engine coupler having a pilotbeam, a coupler pocket secured thereto, said pocket having elongated recesses in its upper and lower walls, a coupler shank entering said pocket, a tail bolt extending .rearwardly from the coupler shank, a pinpivotally con nectingvthe coupler shank to the tail bolt, said pin having projecting upper and lower ends engaging said recesses, and spring means operatively connected with the tail bolt and coupler to receive both pulling and buiiing strains, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

IVALTER E. COFFIN. Witnesses:

HARRY E. ORR, F. W. SwENsroN. 

